The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 568
CH. 29 AL-'ANKABŪT PT. 20 مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ اَوْلِيَاء The case of those who take. 42 helpers beside Allah is like unto كَمَثَلِ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ the case of the spider, who makes for herself a house; and أوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ surely the frailest of all houses لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ is the house of the spider, if they but knew!2967 اِنَّ اللهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ Verily, Allah knows whatever. 43 مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ وَمَا they call upon beside Him; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. 2968 44. And these are similitudes which We set forth for mankind, "13:18; 14:26. earthquake (7:79), a i. e. blast (11:68; 54:32), ac i. e. thunderbolt (41:18) and i. e. violent blast (69:5); that which destroyed the people of Lot as i. e. stones of clay (11:83; 2967. Commentary: verses In the previous several arguments have been given in refutation of Shirk and brief i. e. storm of | references have been made to the حاصبا and صيحة (15:75 stones (54:35); and that which overtook lives and missions of some of the Midian, the people of Shu'aib as a greatest preachers of Divine Unity to i. e. earthquake (7:92; 29:38), blast (11:95), and all i. e. i. e. punishment of the day of overshadowing doom (26:190). Last of all the heavenly punishment which seized Pharaoh and his mighty hosts and his courtiers, Hāmān and Korah and destroyed them root and branch has been described by the expressions i. e. We drowned them (2:51; 7:137 & 17:104) and asti. e. We made the earth swallow him up (28:82). A careful study of these words shows that some of them, particularly رجفة صاعقة are طاغية and صيحة interchangeable and possess almost analogous significance and meaning. See also 11:68. 2482 show that those who rejected them ultimately came to grief. This subject of the Unity of God is brought to a close in this verse with a beautiful metaphor which drives home the folly, futility and falsity of idolatrous beliefs and practices of polytheists. They are as frail, says the verse, as the web of a spider and cannot stand intelligent criticism. 2968. Commentary: The words, verily Allah knows. . . , contain a warning that God is not unaware of the blasphemous practices of idol worshippers and that He will punish them for having enthroned false gods in their hearts.